The European Union's European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) includes the eventual framing of a common defence policy which might in time lead to a common defence. Established in 1999 at the Cologne European Council, the ESDP aims to allow the Union to develop its civilian and military capacities for crisis management and conflict prevention at international level thus helping to maintain peace and international security, in accordance with the United Nations Charter. The ESDP, which does not involve the creation of a European army, is developing in a manner that is compatible and coordinated with NATO.
With the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, new tasks have been included in the Treaty on European Union (Title V). This important innovation relates to humanitarian and rescue operations, peacekeeping operations and the use of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking operations (known as the "Petersberg tasks"). In addition to these civilian and military crisis management operations, the ESDP includes a conflict prevention component.
The Political and Security Committee (PSC), the EU Military Committee (EUMC) and EU Military Staff (EUMS) are the permanent political and military structures responsible for an autonomous, operational EU defence policy. The Helsinki European Council established the "global objective", in other words that the Union must be able to deploy, up to 60 000 persons within 60 days and for at least one year.
See:
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Common foreign and security policy (CFSP)•
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)•
'New look' NATO•
Petersberg tasks•
Western European Union (WEU)
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